Ozzie Albies launched a decisive three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, guiding the Netherlands to triumph over Nicaragua on Saturday.
The Netherlands initiated its two-out comeback with a base hit from Ceddanne Rafaela against relief pitcher Angel Obando. Xander Bogaerts then hit a double, propelling Rafaela to third base, moments before Albies launched Obando’s initial pitch beyond the right field wall.
The Netherlands advanced its record to 1-1 in Group D. Meanwhile, Nicaragua’s standing slipped to 0-2.
In the eighth inning, Jeter Downs launched a decisive two-run long ball, giving Nicaragua a 3-1 advantage. He smacked a sinkerball from Netherlands relief pitcher Lars Huijer over the left-center wall. Huijer, who provided two relief innings, secured the victory.
Prior to Albies’ home run, the Netherlands had left 14 players on base and were unsuccessful in six attempts with players in a position to score.
Rafaela, Bogaerts, and Druw Jones each tallied a pair of hits for the Netherlands squad.
In the third inning, Nicaragua’s starting pitcher Erasmo Ramirez hit Albies with all bases occupied, which resulted in a 1-0 advantage for the Netherlands. Ramirez surrendered one run and five hits across five innings, while Jaitoine Kelly, the Netherlands’ starter, pitched two frames without yielding any runs.
OZZIE ALBIES!
A #WORLDBASEBALLCLASSIC GAME-ENDING HOME RUN FOR THE DUTCH SQUAD 🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/T2HRyL233M
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 7, 2026
Naylor Siblings’ Fielding, Cassie’s Two-Run Blast Propel Canada Past Colombia
In the first inning at San Juan, Puerto Rico, a score-preventing fielding maneuver by siblings Josh and Bo Naylor bolstered Canada. Subsequently, Owen Cassie launched a decisive two-run long ball in the second inning off fill-in starter Austin Bergner, as Canada vanquished Colombia 8-2.
Julio Teheran was a late withdrawal as Colombia’s initial hurler, forcing 35-year-old Bergner, whose last MLB appearance was in 2024, to assume the unexpected pitching duty after Teheran experienced discomfort in his right shoulder during warm-ups.
Canada claimed victory in its first match, whereas Colombia’s record fell to 0-2 in Group A.
Michael Arroyo commenced the game with a base hit off Michael Soroka, then pilfered second base and advanced to third due to an errant pitch. Reynaldo Rodriguez subsequently hit a ground ball to first baseman Josh Naylor, who tossed it to his brother Bo at home plate for the putout.
This marked one of four instances where Colombian runners were retired on the basepaths. Bo Naylor picked off Rodriguez and Jesus Marriaga attempting to steal, and Daniel Vellojin was retired attempting to advance to second base on a dropped fly ball in the ninth inning.
In the third inning, Arroyo reduced Colombia’s gap with an RBI base hit off Soroka, who surrendered four hits over three frames for the victory. Abraham Toro re-established a two-run advantage in the bottom half with a walk with all bases occupied from Emerson Martinez.
Josh Naylor tallied an RBI base hit in the seventh, bringing home his cousin, Denzel Clarke, after Marriaga mishandled Clarke’s fly ball to right field, resulting in an error.
Harold Ramirez achieved a two-base hit that scored a run in the eighth. Then, with two runners on and two outs, Gio Urshela struck out, swinging and missing at a trio of consecutive breaking balls from Eric Cerantola.
Toro delivered a three-base hit that scored a run during the bottom of the inning yielding four runs, and subsequently crossed the plate following Bo Naylor’s base hit.
Phillippe Aumont, who last appeared on a big league mound in 2015, fanned Tito Polo for the ultimate out.